The futility of New Mexico’s Jobs Council

ByPaul Gessing | October 25, 2016

Paul Gessing is the president of New Mexico’s Rio Grande Foundation, a libertarian-oriented think tank based in New Mexico.

Rio Grande Foundation President Paul Gessing

Unfortunately, the path forward involves making hard and politically-difficult moves that involve standing up to special interest groups whether they be the unions, the film industry, or business advocates for more “corporate welfare” like LEDA and JTIP (to name just a few). Unfortunately, the free market path to reform isn’t going to be the first choice of a Council stocked with dozens of politicians and interest group representatives.

Marketing New Mexico to retirees: An obvious idea because retirees don’t NEED jobs and New Mexico has nice weather. Fine idea as far as it goes, but it really isn’t a jobs creation strategy unless you work in food-service or retirement homes;

Enacting or broadening tax breaks, including one for out-of-state investors: New Mexico has enacted numerous such incentives over the years with dubious results. Perhaps it is time for real tax reform?

Despite the outcry from the political left, Chairman Ajit Pai and the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to end Title II regulation of the internet is the right move for individuals of all political stripes looking to create and share content on the internet. Government rules mandating that internet service providers treat all applications the same provided service providers less incentive to experiment with new ideas of how to get consumers the products they want.

MCALLEN — Every afternoon, dozens of immigrant families released by the U.S. government walk three blocks from the Greyhound bus station in this South Texas border city to a migrant shelter run by Catholic Charities.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. — Groups advocating for the rights of children and families detained at the southern border are using the Freedom of Information Act to find out exactly where the Trump administration plans to build migrant detention centers on two military bases in the Southwest.